Ryoma

Sorry but to me the best Roy VF-1S (DYRL) is the yamato 1/48 weathering version with super/fast packs(also weathered). It's going to cost you a fortune but it's totally worth it. I don't own it but i do have a Hikaru weathering and it's just great. Worth every penny i spent. 

There is also a weathering 1/60 V.2  and i do think that it's a great toy but since that you seem to prefer bigger models and that the 1/48s have more details than the v.2 1/60 i would suggest you go with the first one. Sorry if i am late to the party.

23 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Hey @kajnrig. To answer your question, yes, in MS mode, it really resembles the MG Zeta 2.0. However, inner frame-wise, it's not a direct copy nor a recast of the MG inner frame. IMO, they kind of simplify how complex the MG inner frame kit is when it transforms. I compared how the Tomemei locks from the MG Zeta 2.0 photos I found at Dalong since I don't have my kits here in the US.

The MG locks betters due to small clips, tabs and whatnot which the Tomemei doesn't. So both modes of Tomemei suffers unless we need to fix or tighten the joints. But since they all moves, swings, and folds, the joints are all with pins. So it's not going to be easy to tighten it up like if the joints have screws. The only way I could think of is to use a drop of Superglue and move it until it hardens a little bit.

 

I do agree with what no3Ljm says but i would also add that it almost looked like a KA version to me. It has few more panel lines and some more coulors separation. Just a couple of details more though, nothing too different. I would also say that it looked slightly smaller than the MG. Like a sort of 114 scale. What do you think @no3Ljm do you agree with me or i am just seeing things?

2 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

So I finally able to open my Tomemei Cita (Zeta Gundam) today. I've got to confirm what @Ryoma posted a few days were all true. Don't get me wrong though. I really like what I'm seeing here. A good clean finish. Though it can easily get rub from painted areas during transformation. The remedy I can think of is that to use a white 'Staedler' eraser to remove those paint rubs. Also, if only all the joints are tight esp on the crotch mechanism area, it would've been nice. Wish they also added extra locking tabs in between mode so it would line up everything during transformation.

All in all, I'm not upset about the purchase. But it's true that of all the 3P Gundam Metal figures that I bought, this is the weakest one. But it doesn't stop me from wishing they would make a White Unicorn unit in the future with some fixes.

 

You got exactly my point! I am happy with the look of it, at least in Mobile suit mode but when you try to transform it that's when the problems start. I don't regret buying it but if you do i suggest you just don't transform it. And thanks for the suggestion on how to erase the rubs....i will definitely give it a try.

8 hours ago, anime52k8 said:

 

P-bandai kits always come with waterslide decal sheets. It just says 'now planning' because they haven't finalized this kits sheet yet.

Actually, that's not true, although a lot of people think so(including me, untill few weeks ago).You should check on the official page of the specific product, the description should point out wheter or not they come with waterslides. 

1 hour ago, SuperHobo said:

Oh man that blows. I wouldn't let one bad experience with a 3rd party piece deter you away. I would just wait for reviews to come out to see if the toy is up to snuff especially from an unknown 3P company like this one making the Zeta gundam. 

Yeah i know, you are right... I am just really bitter now. I was really counting on this release to be at the same level of all my others 1/100 models from Z gundam(i actually own all of them, all the ones from the AEUG i mean). So i was planning to keep this one in wave rider mode, since i don't feel comfortable in transforming my Z MG. Oh well, things got better  today. I spent another couple of hours on it and it looks almost acceptable now. The problem is that it has a lot of scratches now and if i ever want to turn it again in Mobile suit it's just not gonna look good.

Just keep it in Mobile suit mode. It looks cool, sort of a KA version of 2.0 MG. Slightly smaller scale than the other 1/100 MS. I did another attempt this morning and i feel i am almost there, but still not happy about the look and the overall feeling. Gonna post pictures later on, i promise. 

Oh man, i take everything back...please don't buy this piece of c..p.

I tried to transform it tonight and well, i failed miserably. And i have been transforming Variable fighter since 2001...so i think i can say i have a little bit of experience with this kind of toys. It's a floppy mess, parts don't fit, joints became loose all of sudden...it just falls apart not matter what you do. Plus, now it has scratches all over and even if i could transform it back to MS mode it's not gonna look good. Last time i buy a third party toy. So upset right now.

On 7/24/2019 at 2:11 PM, Mommar said:

Depends where you live.  Big Bad Toy Store still has their pre-order listed. It’s usually an extra months wait for imports from them though.

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/89859

Thanks, but i wanted to have that kit in august since i have a week off from work and was planning to start building it. I guess i will take my chances on e-bay then.

On 7/24/2019 at 5:05 AM, xoxokin said:

I am using this Hydrogen peroxide kind of dyed hair, Restore to white.

Thanks, it seems to work great. I will definitely give it a try as soon as possible!

On 7/24/2019 at 5:00 AM, tekering said:

Have they been exposed to direct sunlight?

I have thirteen of the old 1:48's, and none of mine show any evidence of discoloration whatsoever.  They've been on display for many years, but only in windowless rooms.

Well, honestly sunlight or not sunlight didn't seem to matter for mine. For example, Max VF-1A DYRL was put right next to my Roy VF-1S and Max became all sort of yellow (all of it!!!) while Roy seems like new, not a single piece yellowed. Few shelves down we have my very first valk, a VF-1J Hikaru 1/60 v.1 and it is just perfect. On the same shelf of max and roy we have Hikaru VF-1A and Kaki VF-1A. Hikaru is good(not perfect, but very good) Kaki instead, well it looks like an army of rats peed on it for ten years every day. The room where they were put on display had three windows but the curtains were always down(well for most of the time) and i don't think that was that huge amount of light coming in. At least for what i remember( i moved out of that house a couple of years ago).

13 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Thanks for your initial feedback, @Ryoma.

 

You are very welcome! More to come, i promise.

4 hours ago, SuperHobo said:

Let us know how the quality on this release turned out?

Well, i really like it so far! The joints are not floppy at all, it feels very solid and very posable. Way more than my 2.0 MG (which i love anyway). The only joint that seems just a bit loose is the one that connects the left leg to the waist. Nothing too serious but it seems just a bit more loose than the others. Very good level of details too, with the right amount of tampos and panel lines. My only complaint is the head which seems not to have as many details as the other parts of the body. I am still debating wether to panel line it or not...will let you know about that. I was planning to transform it tonight but i have a super headache so will probably postpone everything to tomorrow night. I will definitely give you and update about that too.

1 hour ago, doomgart said:

There are the Transformation Video on the shozstore website.

Cool! Thank you so much! I will definetely check them out.

On 7/21/2019 at 9:16 AM, no3Ljm said:

The CITA has landed!

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/i8IgWbLvkFCbV06SPYrKiQ

I just got mine yesterday and it looks really good but...no instruction sheet on how to transform it??? Are the instructions available anywhere on internet?

Great collection! One of the best 1/48 i have ever seen actually. I have a question though. How did you keep all your valks from yellowing? 90% of mine yellowed a lot.

I just got an email from HLJ saying that they cancelled my order for the upcoming release of the RE/100 Zaku II FZ. Do you guys have any suggestion about other websites where i can still find one(possibly not ebay)? Thank you.

Oh boy...i did shed a tear. I like where they are going.

I am wondering if it will come with the weathering and the different shade of blue we saw few months ago at some hobby exposition. If that's the case i will definetely buy one. If not i will have to think about it. I do think though that this is probably the VF that will improve more with a premium version. Stickers on blue plastic really suck.

Actually i take that back. The redub of Evangelion made it to the national newspaper in Italy. Very small article but it was there. The thing is that it was so bad and so full of mistakes that it was impossible not to notice it. Anyway i think it's a good thing that fans can actually make companies like Netflix bring some changes when they are clearly, undeniably, wrong.

Quick update here, Netflix Italy just removed the new dub and will replace it with the old one. Subtitles will be fixed soon too. That's kind of a surprise and made me understand that probably big companies read forums too.

2 hours ago, kajnrig said:

Episode 1 is a case of the English and Japanese titles being nearly identical. In Japanese, " 使徒、襲来 " (Shito Shurai, or "Apostle Attack"). In English, "Angel Attack".

Oh by all means, vent. This quirk of the original Japanese directorial decisions doesn't say anything at all about the quality or lack thereof of the Italian dub. I feel for you, sounds like you're having to suffer through hack job fansubs (and/or worse yet, fandubs) in an official product.

Well, thanks.  the funny thing is that we already have a great version of Evangelion in Italy. It came out in the late 90s and it was dubbed very well and from my understanding the translation was very accurate to the original material. Netflix decided to redub the whole thing and made a big mess. I am just sorry for the new generations that will have to listen to this new translation. Luckily enough the first version is still widely available ind DVD. 

Another funny moment is when the Evas go Berserk. Now it's called " Stato di furia", something like "State of fury"   

3 hours ago, tekering said:

To be honest, most of the Biblical references in Evangelion were just as badly translated in the original series, "angel" being a prime example...  Early fansubs I produced used "disciples," but "apostles" is definitely more appropriate.

Regardless, Italian adaptations have a particularly bad reputation when it comes to anime (and Transformers as well, as I recall).

You are not wrong. Saint Seiya is another good example of that. The thing is that we have some of the best voice actors ever. They are really awesome and would not trade them for anybody else. So the acting is always great but the translations are, most of the times, bad or, in the past, incorrect. Even now when most of the times they can have access to the original scripts they tend to be too much litteral  and therefore it makes it tough to fully enjoy the show. 

I agree. I did not enjoy Avatar as a movie, i think it was very predictable and derivative but the use of the 3D was really good.  I think James Cameron tends to do that. For example some special effects used in The Abyss were then perfected and used in even a better way in T2(which is definitely a better movie, or anyway more complex than the Abyss). I like to think that he now mastered the new technology and is ready to apply it to the sequels and that the upcoming movies will be better than the first one under every point of view.

I did not know that. Very interesting. But since the title of the first episode is Angel Attack(if i remember correctly) and all the antagonists have angel's names i think it was a wrong choice. It really seems they used google translator to translate the entire series, and i am not referring only to this. Clearly i am aware you cannot know this and i understand you shouldn't really care. Just be patient with me, Netflix lately seems to be destroying all my favourite anime(Cowboy Bebop, Saint Seiya and Evangelion) so i feel the need to vent a bit with you all.

Glad to hear that. They are destroying only the italian version then.